1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a door operating device for a slide door unit and more particularly to a door operating device for a slide door unit having a door designed to be slidable along a wall and to be received in an opening formed in the wall with the outside of the door practically flush with the outside surface of the wall, wherein the door sliding motion and the door receiving motion are operated by means of a single prime mover to attain automatic operation of the door.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Slide door operating systems are classified broadly into two categories. In a slide door operating system belonging to the first category such as employed in houses and the rolling stock, a slide door is made to slide along a guide rail extending in a simple direction along the wall or the outside surface of the body of the rolling stock. In a slide door operating system belonging to the second category such as employed in automobiles, particularly in van type automobiles, the door is placed in the closed position with the exterior panel thereof arranged flush with the exterior panel of the body of an automobile, while the door is opened first by swinging the door outside of the exterior panel of the body and then by sliding the door along the outside surface of the exterior panel of the body.
In a slide door unit belonging to the second category, a first guide rail and a second guide rail are attached to the top portion and the bottom portion, respectively, of an opening formed in the body of an automobile, a third guide rail is attached to the exterior panel of the body, along which the door slides, at a position corresponding to the middle portion between the top portion and the bottom portion of the opening, the respective ends of the guide rails in one or the first direction of the sliding motion of the door are bent in a circular arc curved inwardly of the body of the automobile, a guide means attached to one side of the door in the other or the second direction of the sliding motion of the door is designed so as to slide along the third guide rail, guide means attached to the other side of the door in the first direction of the sliding motion of the door are designed to be slidable along the first and the second guide rails and those guide means are connected pivotally, if necessary, to the door so that the door is placed with the exterior panel thereof arranged practically flush with the exterior panel of the body when the opening of the body of the automobile is closed by the door and the door is swayed to move the exterior panel thereof outside of the exterior panel of the body in the initial stage of opening of the door and then the door is made to slide along the exterior panel of the body to the second direction of the sliding motion.
In order to attain automatic operation of such a slide door of the second category by means of prime movers such as DC motors, the door swaying motion to the outside of the exterior panel of the body and the door sliding motion along the exterior panel of the body are required to be performed simultaneously or individually. If those motions are to be powered by individual prime movers, at least two prime movers are needed and the relative timing of said door swaying motion and said door sliding motion has to be adjusted appropriately.
Furthermore, in order to attain the automatic operation of the slide door of a vehicle belonging to the second category by means of prime movers, the unlocking device of a door locking device provided for the door has to be operated to unlock the door locking device prior to said door swaying motion.